The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Earl could become a major hurricane during the day, probably while north of Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands.

Steady bands of rain began falling late Sunday on islands including Antigua, where the Grand Pineapple Beach Resort on the north side battened down early as a precaution.

Winds were heavy but had not caused any major damage, and the surf was higher than normal but not punishing, general manager Courtney Miller told The Associated Press by phone.

Earlier Sunday, islanders stocked up on food, water and supplies, set up shelters and tied down boats in harbors across the northern Caribbean as Earl blew toward the region.

Antigua's V.C. Bird International Airport closed, and regional airlines LIAT and Winair suspended flights. Cruise ships diverted to other ports in the Caribbean and Mexico to avoid the storm's path.

In St. Kitts and Nevis, authorities urged people to take all necessary precautions for the hurricane, which is dwarfing the tiny island nations and territories of the northern Caribbean.

"We really don't want any loss of life, whether by persons who are careless or by security or emergency persons trying to rescue people," said Carl Herbert, head of the local emergency management agency.

Hardware stores did a brisk business in plywood and boards as jittery residents and employees of gleaming tourist hotels prepared to safeguard windows and doors.

"We haven't been hit for quite a few years, but you may never know — this might be the time," said Ashley Benta, from the Antiguan town of Gray's Farm.

Late Sunday, Earl was about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east-northeast of Barbuda and headed west-northwest at 15 mph (24 kph), according to the center in Miami. Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 45 miles (75 kilometers) from its center.

Earl became a hurricane Sunday morning and has continued to grow rapidly in strength, fueled by warm ocean temperatures of 86 F (30 C).

The center expects Earl could be a major hurricane — meaning Category 3 or higher, with sustained winds topping 111 mph (178 kph) — by later Monday.

Earl could bring battering waves and storm surges of up to four feet (1.2 meters) above normal on some islands, as well as downpours that threaten to unleash flash floods and mudslides.

Forecasters say there is a chance the hurricane could brush the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region toward the end of the week, with its closest approach to North Carolina on Thursday.

In any case, the U.S. East Coast is likely to see pounding surf.

Meanwhile, the Category 1 Hurricane Danielle was bringing dangerous rip currents to the U.S. East Coast. It was gradually weakening as it headed over the open Atlantic northeast of the British territory of Bermuda.

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Associated Press writers Anika Kentish in St. John's, Antigua, Clive Bacchus in Basseterre, St. Kitts, and Peter Orsi in Mexico City contributed to this report.